The city\u2019s leader John Lee welcomed the budget and called for public support, highlighting its alignment with the administration\u2019s vision to promote Hong Kong’s high-quality development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the coming year, the government will allocate HK$1,660 million to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to further promote Hong Kong as the Events Capital of Asia. HKTB chairman Peter Lam said the board will use government resources and trade partnerships to attract high\u2011end overnight visitors, extend their stays and spending, and enhance visitor experiences to drive repeat visits and boost the wider economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, HKTB will strengthen its global promotions to showcase Hong Kong\u2019s distinctive experiences and enhance the scale and appeal of its mega events to highlight the city\u2019s edge and reinforce Hong Kong\u2019s tourism competitiveness,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Furthermore, business chambers in Hong Kong such as The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries praised Budget measures supporting SMEs, highlighting the HK$200 million boost to the BUD Fund as a key step to strengthen SME branding and expansion.<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, the budget speech generated 4,600 mentions, with sentiment of social media conversations at 27.1% positive and 1.6% negative, and the majority of discussion neutral, according to media intelligence firm CARMA. Keywords associated with social media conversations were policy-led, centred on economic development (\u767c\u5c55 \/ \u7d93\u6fdf), government measures (\u63aa\u65bd \/ \u63d0\u51fa \/ \u63a8\u52d5), innovation and technology (\u79d1\u6280\u5275\u65b0), talent attraction, investment and references to the Northern Metropolis (\u5317\u90e8\u90fd\u6703\u5340).<\/p>\n
With talent, tourism and technology front and centre in the government’s strategy, industry leaders are weighing how these investments will reshape Hong Kong\u2019s marketing, media and advertising landscape. We asked senior figures in the advertising and public relations sectors to share their views on what the Budget means for the industry and how it may influence future business decisions.<\/p>\n
Jacopo Pesavento, CEO, Branding Records<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hong Kong doesn\u2019t have the luxury of playing safe, and this budget reflects that awareness. The emphasis on talent, tourism and AI is not accidental. These are the pressure points of modern competitiveness. A 3.5% growth rate is reassuring, but growth is maintenance. The real ambition should be influence. The question is not whether the priorities are right. They are. <\/p>\n
The question is whether Hong Kong can move faster and think bigger than its competitors. In today\u2019s environment, hesitation is expensive. Leadership is rewarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right now, the priorities read like strong ingredients. What\u2019s needed is a signature dish. Talent, AI and tourism should combine into one clear story about why Hong Kong matters now. Branding a city is not about slogans. It is about alignment. The startup founder, the global investor, the artist, the event organiser and the policymaker should all be reinforcing the same idea. When economic strategy and cultural expression move in sync, perception shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reputation is a compound asset. It builds slowly and pays long-term dividends. Competing cities are not just investing in infrastructure; they are investing in identity. <\/p>\n
Hong Kong\u2019s opportunity is to transition from recovery mode to relevance mode and position itself not just as a gateway, but as a place that shapes what comes next.<\/p>\n
David Chan, head of trading and partnership, dentsu Hong Kong<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772079682_davidchandentsu.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The 2026 Budget signals a positive trajectory for Hong Kong, especially with its focus on talent, tourism and AI\u2011driven innovation. These priorities mirror dentsu\u2019s belief that sustainable growth must come from building future\u2011ready capabilities while keeping people at the centre. The continued economic expansion reinforces confidence in Hong Kong\u2019s role as a regional hub for creativity, commerce and innovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From a media perspective, Hong Kong should accelerate integration across the full ecosystem \u2014 international platforms such as Google and Meta, alongside China\u2019s influence engines such as Tencent and Alibaba.\u00a0 We see the next wave of growth coming from interoperable data, AI\u2011enhanced planning, and connected measurement across these environments. Policy support that enables experimentation, cross\u2011border data collaboration and responsible AI adoption would empower brands to make smarter, more accountable investment decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hong Kong also has a unique opportunity to strengthen its role as a launchpad for China brands going global. With its blend of international marketing expertise and proximity to mainland digital ecosystems, language and culture, the city is well\u2011positioned to host cross\u2011market innovation, creative testing and talent development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, deeper collaboration between government, commerce, media and agencies will be key to turning this budget\u2019s ambitions into meaningful outcomes for brands, consumers and the wider economy.<\/p>\n
Yvonne Ma, founder and managing director, Eighty20<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As the owner of Eighty20, a marketing agency specialising in global government, real estate, and tourism clients, I recognise that the HK$1.66 billion allocation to the HKTB for flagship events and promotions is a positive step. However, the budget could more aggressively target emerging markets such as the Middle East. The UAE, for instance, values Hong Kong’s bilingual environment and urban development as models for its own growth. Strengthening partnerships with Middle Eastern nations could yield mutual benefits in tourism and B2B investment.<\/p>\n
The HK$1.2 billion investment in elite sports and cultural commerce is promising. However, clear metrics for return on investment and inclusivity are essential to ensure these initiatives resonate with both local and international audiences.<\/p>\n
The focus on developing an international I&T hub through AI+ initiatives is forward-thinking. Nonetheless, without robust support for commercialization, there’s a risk of over-reliance on research and development without tangible economic returns.<\/p>\n
Carol Yeung, managing director, Golin Hong Kong<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772078510_carolyeunggolin.jpg\")
\ufeff<\/p>\n
Budget 2026 marks a meaningful shift from AI infrastructure investment to practical integration. The new committee on AI+ and industry development strategy, coupled with HK$50 million for AI literacy programmes and the committee personally chaired by the financial secretary, signals the emphasis on accelerating AI literacy and adoption in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
As Hong Kong positions itself as an international innovation hub, it is essential to enhance accessibility for businesses and professionals to the full range of global AI tools. <\/p>\n
Broadening the availability of international AI platforms would complement the government’s literacy push and ensure Hong Kong’s workforce can stay at the cutting edge alongside global peers.<\/p>\n
With the government introducing a unified “Made in Hong Kong” brand for the F&B industry, I see tremendous potential to define this narrative further and cascade it to other facets \u2014 from arts and heritage to innovation and tourism. Hong Kong has always been more than a financial hub; a cohesive “Made in Hong Kong” story across key sectors would give the city a powerful and distinctive brand identity on the global stage.<\/p>\n
Melody Chan, business director, Havas Media Hong Kong<\/p>\n
![\"Melody](\"https:\/\/hk.havas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/melody-2025-color.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Hong Kong\u2019s Budget 2026 cements the city\u2019s role as Asia\u2019s innovation and tourism powerhouse\u2014a prime moment for marketers to adopt an AI\u2011ready strategy. With tourism receiving a HK$1.66 billion boost and tax rebates freeing up consumer spending power, marketers should harness AI to uncover unmet demand, scale content creation at speed, and activate and measure campaigns with efficiency and precision. <\/p>\n
The opportunity lies in using data and automation to reach both Hong Kong locals and high\u2011intent travellers\u2014maximising efficiency, personalisation, and ROI in a rapidly reviving market. <\/p>\n
Marketers who think bigger\u2014using AI to connect budget tailwinds to consumer wallets\u2014will own 2026.<\/p>\n
Carbo Yu, regional executive director, Sinclair<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Budget 2026 gives Hong Kong a crisp narrative and clear focus for the city\u2019s continued growth: travel and events bring people, talent brings ideas, and AI turns ideas into better services and progress. <\/p>\n
The real test for these budget initiatives is how they can work hand-in-glove towards the creation of any visible impact on local communities and businesses.<\/p>\n
As Hong Kong sharpens its tourism appeal and bids to be the Events Capital of Asia, large-scale events cannot be just postcard or Instagram moments; they must be converted into dynamic traffic engines that extend local and visitor dwell time and lift consumption through targeted programming, cross-district activations, and festival tie-ins. <\/p>\n
For brands, corporates, SMEs, and marketers, this creates an immense opportunity to make the destination narrative tangible through creative activations that align with the city\u2019s calendar, remove friction from the consumer journey, and build campaigns that drive footfall, momentum and measurable spend. <\/p>\n
While the planned investment in AI research and development will propel Hong Kong\u2019s reputation as a global technology hub, the use of AI tools to enhance and amplify tourism efforts will help to improve consumer reach and eliminate many of the barriers for international travelers visiting Hong Kong. \u00a0When combined, these core aspects of the 2026 budget have the potential to yield tremendous results.<\/p>\n
Silas Ho, Senior Vice President, Client Leadership, WPP Media Hong Kong\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Budget 2026 is a much\u2011needed boost for Hong Kong\u2019s tourism efforts. The extra support for HKTB, major events and city\u2011branding will help Hong Kong stand out again, bring in more high\u2011value visitors, and create real benefits for retail, dining, culture and the wider economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To get the most from this, Hong Kong needs stronger, more focused destination marketing that uses data and real audience insights to reach the right travellers at the right moments.<\/p>\n
Travellers today choose destinations through digital inspiration, personalised content and what feels relevant to them. Hong Kong should lean into clearer targeting, market\u2011specific storytelling and smarter cross\u2011border activation \u2014 especially for mainland and long\u2011haul markets. This matches the more flexible, performance\u2011based ways of working we\u2019ve been taking to clients, where budgets are planned around clear outcomes and efficiency rather than volume.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is also a chance to raise the bar in how brands plan by using AI\u2011supported tools, simple outcome\u2011based commercial models and more joined\u2011up digital strategies. These are areas where WPP Media Hong Kong has been leading the way, helping brands get more impact from every dollar while keeping things practical and results\u2011driven for tourism growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark your calendars for 24 June!\u00a0#Content360 Hong Kong<\/a>\u00a0returns with a dynamic, one-day event dedicated to pivotal trends\u2014from the silver economies to breakthrough IP collaborations, sports, and beyond.\u00a0Let’s dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/p>\n 6 key takeaways from Budget 2026 for HK\u2019s marketing scene<\/a>
\u2018More needed to unlock digital growth,\u2019 say HK adland leaders on Budget 2025<\/a>
6 key takeaways for HK marketing community from Budget 2025<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hong Kong\u2019s finance chief Paul Chan unveiled the government\u2019s financial plan for 2026, prioritising tourism revival, AI-driven innovation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[36196,114,156268,184,85,46,156267,156270,156266,156269,16015,125,2012],"class_list":{"0":"post-311930","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-budget-2026","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-david-chan","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-jacopo-pesavento","15":"tag-melody-chan","16":"tag-paul-chan","17":"tag-silas-ho","18":"tag-talent","19":"tag-technology","20":"tag-tourism"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}